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Northwest Florida projects get priority in budget

Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

AP

By TOM McLAUGHLIN / Daily News

Published: Tuesday, June 3, 2014 at 05:34 PM.

Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, which last year took on sole responsibility of mental health crisis management in Okaloosa County, received $1 million from the state this year to bolster its crisis stabilization unit.

The project is one of hundreds secured for Northwest Florida this year during the legislative session.

Outgoing state Senate President Don Gaetz said almost $2 billion flowed west from Tallahassee this year to positively impact the region.

Among the projects that made the cut was $3.8 million to dredge the East Pass at Destin Harbor, $79,890 for the Northwest Florida Ballet and $60,174 for the Sinfonia symphony organization.

Gaetz said he helped secure $125,000 to construct the Bud and Doris Day Patriots Trail in Okaloosa County and $150,000 for the county’s Veterans Court initiative.

“I made the priorities of Northwest Florida our own priorities,” said Gaetz.

Following the March 2013 closing of the Bridgeway Center’s crisis stabilization unit, Fort Walton Beach Medical Center became the only Okaloosa County facility processing Baker Act patients, according to Medical Center spokesman Josh Snellgrove.

At that time the hospital “stepped up to the plate” and spent $500,000 on security upgrades, which included adding security cameras and reinforcing receiving areas, Snellgrove said.

State Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, sought unsuccessfully last year to obtain money for the crisis stabilization unit. This year he was able to get it, and Snellgrove said the hospital is grateful for his efforts.

Snellgrove said Medical Center administrators have only just begun contemplating how they’ll utilize the new state dollars.

Securing holding and treatment facilities for mentally ill Baker Act patients has been a priority for Gaetz since 2008, when a deeply disturbed Mark Rohlman escaped the hospital’s custody and killed deputy Anthony Forgione before taking his own life.

“I’m very pleased we’re going to have the kind of facility that will be secure and hopefully prevent the sort of tragedies we’ve witnessed in the past,” Gaetz said.

Crisis care was also funded in the state budget in the form of $350,000 in construction and start up funding to get a Children’s Advocacy Center facility built in Walton County.

Another $1.5 million was set aside for mental health and substance abuse care for children in Bay and Walton counties, a news release said.

Schools benefit from budget

Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton county schools received nearly $440 million in total Florida Education Finance Program dollars, with each county’s percentage increase being above the state average.

“I am particularly pleased with the increase in education funding to the K-12 districts,” Gaetz said.

An additional $30 million was also added to the budget to advance career technical education, Gaetz said.

While Scott vetoed just over $247,000 for the Northwest Florida Ballet Academie in Fort Walton Beach, he approved $250,000 for the Okaloosa County STEMM Middle School in Niceville.

The STEMM center educates students in the sciences and technology, subjects that are “right in the governor’s wheelhouse,” Gaetz said.

“I tried,” Gaetz said. “But I don’t think the governor was convinced of the relationship between the ballet academy and jobs.”

Walton County was a big beneficiary. The state pledged $4.4 million to build a wastewater treatment facility at Mossy Head Industrial Park. Efforts to get funding for the same project were vetoed last year.

Gaetz said Walton County’s success in luring businesses to settle in at the Mossy Head Industrial Park probably helped convince Scott to contribute to infrastructure needs there.

“The fact they got a major employer made a difference. It went from being a field of weeds to producing real jobs,” he said. “Mossy Head can really take off this year.”

Another $4 million was set aside to connect Walton County’s Freeport and DeFuniak Springs water systems and add 50 thousand feet of water mains in Freeport, Gaetz said.

Also $2 million went to convert septic tanks to sewer in the Lake Pippin area of Okaloosa County.

Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, which last year took on sole responsibility of mental health crisis management in Okaloosa County, received $1 million from the state this year to bolster its crisis stabilization unit.

The project is one of hundreds secured for Northwest Florida this year during the legislative session.

Outgoing state Senate President Don Gaetz said almost $2 billion flowed west from Tallahassee this year to positively impact the region.

Among the projects that made the cut was $3.8 million to dredge the East Pass at Destin Harbor, $79,890 for the Northwest Florida Ballet and $60,174 for the Sinfonia symphony organization.

Gaetz said he helped secure $125,000 to construct the Bud and Doris Day Patriots Trail in Okaloosa County and $150,000 for the county’s Veterans Court initiative.

“I made the priorities of Northwest Florida our own priorities,” said Gaetz.

Following the March 2013 closing of the Bridgeway Center’s crisis stabilization unit, Fort Walton Beach Medical Center became the only Okaloosa County facility processing Baker Act patients, according to Medical Center spokesman Josh Snellgrove.

At that time the hospital “stepped up to the plate” and spent $500,000 on security upgrades, which included adding security cameras and reinforcing receiving areas, Snellgrove said.

State Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, sought unsuccessfully last year to obtain money for the crisis stabilization unit. This year he was able to get it, and Snellgrove said the hospital is grateful for his efforts.

Snellgrove said Medical Center administrators have only just begun contemplating how they’ll utilize the new state dollars.

Securing holding and treatment facilities for mentally ill Baker Act patients has been a priority for Gaetz since 2008, when a deeply disturbed Mark Rohlman escaped the hospital’s custody and killed deputy Anthony Forgione before taking his own life.

“I’m very pleased we’re going to have the kind of facility that will be secure and hopefully prevent the sort of tragedies we’ve witnessed in the past,” Gaetz said.

Crisis care was also funded in the state budget in the form of $350,000 in construction and start up funding to get a Children’s Advocacy Center facility built in Walton County.

Another $1.5 million was set aside for mental health and substance abuse care for children in Bay and Walton counties, a news release said.

Schools benefit from budget

Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton county schools received nearly $440 million in total Florida Education Finance Program dollars, with each county’s percentage increase being above the state average.

“I am particularly pleased with the increase in education funding to the K-12 districts,” Gaetz said.

An additional $30 million was also added to the budget to advance career technical education, Gaetz said.

While Scott vetoed just over $247,000 for the Northwest Florida Ballet Academie in Fort Walton Beach, he approved $250,000 for the Okaloosa County STEMM Middle School in Niceville.

The STEMM center educates students in the sciences and technology, subjects that are “right in the governor’s wheelhouse,” Gaetz said.

“I tried,” Gaetz said. “But I don’t think the governor was convinced of the relationship between the ballet academy and jobs.”

Walton County was a big beneficiary. The state pledged $4.4 million to build a wastewater treatment facility at Mossy Head Industrial Park. Efforts to get funding for the same project were vetoed last year.

Gaetz said Walton County’s success in luring businesses to settle in at the Mossy Head Industrial Park probably helped convince Scott to contribute to infrastructure needs there.

“The fact they got a major employer made a difference. It went from being a field of weeds to producing real jobs,” he said. “Mossy Head can really take off this year.”

Another $4 million was set aside to connect Walton County’s Freeport and DeFuniak Springs water systems and add 50 thousand feet of water mains in Freeport, Gaetz said.

Also $2 million went to convert septic tanks to sewer in the Lake Pippin area of Okaloosa County.